Bear Briefs

Homecoming Around the Corner—UM’s 2006 Homecoming Parade will take place Saturday, Oct. 14, and applications for parade entries now are available at two Missoula locations and online. The theme for this year’s parade is “I Y UM.” The parade entry fee is $25. The application deadline is 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6. Entry forms are online at http://www.umontanaalumni.org. The 2006 Homecoming Parade starts at 10 a.m. on the corner of North Higgins Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Missoula. Entrants’ official line-up position numbers and line-up locations will be determined by parade coordinators. Line-up time for the parade is 9 a.m. Information about line-up positions and locations will be mailed to entrants the week before the parade. Parade position numbers also will be posted on the UM Alumni Association Web site at http://www.umontanaalumni.org. For more Homecoming information, call the Alumni Association at 406-243-5211 or visit http://www.umt.edu.

Alumni Adds Associate Director—Susan Cuff, a UM alumna with more than 20 years experience in public relations, marketing and communication, began her duties as associate director of the UM Alumni Association in August. Cuff received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UM in 1981. She came to the Alumni Association from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where she served as public information officer for the Panhandle Health District. Cuff has a long history with the University. Her father, John Wailes, taught pharmacy courses at UM from 1954 to 1985. The family endowed a memorial scholarship fund in his name in 1998.

Less Waiting for Checks—For the first time in the history of UM, student employees will receive paychecks twice a month beginning this fall. Instead of being paid on the first of the month, checks will now be issued on the first and 15th, something students have long lobbied for. There are roughly 2,500 student employees at UM, all of whom will now be able to collect paychecks every two weeks. Students are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit, which will speed paychecks to their bank accounts. The catalyst for the new twice-a-month cycle was new computer equipment installed at Human Resource Services over the summer. The improved system can handle a higher processing load and allow for the more frequent paychecks.

Helping Firefighters Communicate—The National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis at UM has had its hands full this summer because of the demand for its increasingly popular service, the Fire Intelligence Module. FIM is a trained team that reports to a fire to set up wireless broadband networks connecting far-flung resources and relaying video feeds from cameras placed in remote corners of the wilderness. This summer the group received inquiries from fire managers from California to Minnesota requesting services in their regions, most of which they were unable to provide because of limited manpower and equipment. For the first part of the summer, the module was in Alaska, installing a “quasi-permanent” broadband system that spans 200 miles at Denali National Park. After the
Alaska project was completed, Seielstad said people and resources were moved to Challis, Idaho, to serve fires around the middle fork of the Salmon River.

Faces of Griz Fandom—Move over “Survivor” and “American Idol.” UM recently held a homegrown casting call for its most die-hard Griz fans. More than 50 people showed up at Liquid Planet in downtown Missoula to audition for a commercial, many dressed in outlandish Griz gear. UM wanted fans of all ages, shapes and sizes. The spot will be part of a nine-commercial series in UM’s new marketing campaign, and the first spot was shot the week of Sept. 5.

Train Tour—On a train provided by Montana Rail Link, UM administrators, faculty and students embarked on a three-city whistle-stop tour of Montana this month. Receptions were held at train depots in Helena, Livingston and Billings for prospective students and alumni in the evening while faculty members taught in local high schools by day. The Silver Cloud Tour (named for the train) aimed to recruit students and promote UM’s MPACT (Montana Partnering for Affordable College Tuition) program, which allows in-state high school graduates from median-to low-income families to attend UM with institutional and federal assistance while incurring little
debt load.

Grant for Scientific Ethics—UM’s Center for Ethics has been awarded a three-year $270,000 grant to help graduate research scientists participate more actively and effectively in public debates about science and emerging technologies. The National Science Foundation grant will fund a program titled “Debating Science: A New Model for Ethics Education for Science and Engineering Students.” The grant will bring 36 graduate students selected from universities and colleges nationwide to UM next summer.